DrWho

Same the world over...

thebears

We are sending our daughter to private school (not an average one either) and although for us it is a good fit I have to disagree with the general sentiment of your post.

Not everyone is going to be in a position to send their kids to private school and making them feel like they are giving their kids second best is just well bad karma.

Education also does not stop with the schools it only gives an academic framework - the rest is at home.

For school selection I would still recommend people look at whats right for them - You will end up paying either way - private fees or house price for getting into the right Zone.

The Crow

Karma for that

Wendy

Depends if you need any shopping....

I love the drive through bottle shops, means I don't buy stuff I don't need or want.

Wendy

Well said mate

I hate it when people presume that unless you send your kids to 'private' school you are not giving them the best.

My lad came out of school with 8 GCSE's and 9 A levels, he's now doing a course at Uni (one of the hardest there) which will enable him to work anywhere in the world. He went to one of the shittiest schools in England! He WANTS to learn though, and to me THAT is the key. Doesn't matter how much money you spend, if they don't want to learn then they wont.

stevensfamily

Thank you for that honest post. I agree you have to find the school to fit the child. I went through comprehensive school and achieved everything I wanted to so far in life, I went to Oxford and am a Chartered Surveyor and I believe am a generally well rounded individual. My brother went to the best private school in our area and he left school with no qualifications but has still made an excellent life for himself. At home we were encouraged and supported by our parents. The only comment I would make is that I did go to comprehensive school and unfortunately as I was a hard worked (naturally wanted to try my best) then I didnt fir in and was teased for being "teachers pet" etc. Now we are planning on looking at the local Government co-ed schools for our children but if they do not fit then we will look at the private schools. Our children are bright kids and are doing well in state schools but if they ever feel they do not fit then without hesitation we will look into it and if necessary move them. Your school years should be above all enjoyable, to learn is one of lives gifts and therefore if school life becomes an unhappy one (bright or not every child should feel a sense of achievement) then the school is not bringing out the best in your child.

Anyway, I appologise for the long post but I do not feel that private or state is a simple argument and I suppose I agree with The Bears that it is what is best for your child. We are moving to Oz for our children and therefore their happiness is paramount.

Cheryl

Sorry can I just say to pippin lara that I really appreciate your great post as it provides a fantastic insight into those first months of the seltling in period. Could I also ask, my daughter will be 12 in December 2007, will she go straight into secondary education in Feb 2008?

Kapri

great post Pippin Lara

Shakmaty

Hi Cheryl, yes she should. Some kids are held back by their parents a year especially if their birthday falls close to the year end/beginning, but 12 is the start of year 7....I think?

stevensfamily

Thank you so much. Basically our daughter having a settled secondary education is the most important thing, she has had 7 primary schools so far due to my husbands military career and we are so looking forward to both our children making friends that they can keep for their entire secondary education.

I am sorry pippinlara for pinching your great post. Thank you for taking the time to let us all know some of the things facing us. As you know when you are waiting to go it is the update posts that you cling to and especially those where you hope to settle so again thank you so much for your post and I look forward to your next update. I suppose because one of your children is 11 and you stated that you had placed them in a primary school I wondered when my daughter (also 11 ) would go to secondary school?

I will also be interested to know how you get on with finding work. My hubby is military trained accounts and admin and has 23 years of book keeping and administration, he is obviously nervous that although he reached the top of the promotional ladder in British Army this will not be recognised in Oz and therefore he will be forgoing the kudos that would have come with that when going for a UK finance/admin job. In the UK employers would recognised that with his rank he had considerable management experience. Anyway looking forward to reading how you get on in the job market. Best of luck with everything

thebears

Check out seek.com

When your over here, if he is having trouble let me know and I will see what i can do to help.

Pommy babe

What were the A-levels, what uni does he go to and for what course?

Pommy babe

pippin lara

Hi Stevensfamily

Our daughter will be 12 at the end of March. She was in P7 back home and I initially thought she would be straight into High School. But, the kids start school later here and she's been put in year 6 (in otherwords, starting P7 again). There are clearly different opinions as to how this should go.

1st argument - starting school after a big move with few friends, it is sensible to put them back 6 months rather than forwards. They meet new friends before starting high school and have time to 'settle'.
2nd argument - if your child is doing well at school and is capable of the work being undertaken at high school, then putting them back could be considered a waste of time.

Age is only part of the process - it should also include their physical and mental maturity.

My daughter was attending a highly achieving primary back home (in some subjects, more than a year ahead of the national curriculum) and was performing very well. She's clearly very intelligent but has often required a little 'persuasion' to carry out her work to the best of her ability. We had already contacted the local high school but they said she should go to the primary at her age. We got full reports from the school on both kids (excellent in every category) and passed these to the primary school. We've been monitoring the work over the first few weeks and are disappointed that it's all work she's done before. She's been complaining that she completes class tasks much quicker than the other kids and get's everything correct. (She even said that some of the other kids had 'commented' on how much of a swot she was!) We've spoken to her teacher, who has advised us that the first 2 weeks are mainly for assessment and that they main work would start afterwards and be aimed at each child's ability. I remain to be convinced.
The danger is that my daughter 'wastes' the next year sitting back whilst her classmates catch up. I have personal experience of this back home, when we moved schools in our local area and my younger brother was ahead of his new school and suffered later on as he was then left behind.
There's a parent's evening in the next week or so and I'll be attending and quizzing the teacher.

Going back to the 'private' vs. 'state' thing, my initial comment about not paying enough attention to this during the process is precisely because my daughter is, or will be, attending high school soon and this decision will clearly impact on her overall education. There are strange qualifications and lots of league tables which, frankly, mean nothing to me yet.

My advice is to find out as much as you can about the Oz educational system. I know we're not making 'career decisions' yet, but it's all part of the process.

David

stevensfamily

David,

Our daughters sound alike. My daughter is very bright but can tend to be a tad lazy if she is not totally interested in what she is doing or does not think that she is being recognised as TOP, she loves to get recognition from the teachers and of course they cannot show favoritism and I find most teachers tend to dislike or find the child who knows all the answers as much trouble as those that misbehave. Anyway she is a bright child but I would prefer her to struggle slightly rather than be bored and find things too easy as she quickly becomes bored and generally moody and unhappy.

I have looked into schooling and bought a book on the Victoria education system. I am considering Mount Eliza Secondary and Frankston High. I have to say Mount Eliza secondary is supposed to be getting the International baccalaureate which I am interested in as it is world accepted. It also has a great ethos for the students as I am keen for my children to get all round education and confidence not just educational, well rounded individuals are happier and more sucessful in all aspects of life I think. Anyway thank you so much for the information it has been really helpful and I think I would rather my daughter went into Secondary at just 12 rather than primary year 6.

Thanks again for your insight I really appreciate you helping me with how Oz treats our childrens transfer into their education system,

Cheryl

Wendy

Now you're asking something I know he got English, Maths, Science (I think Chemistry and Biology) and History but can't remember the others! (I've slept loads since then )

He's at Hull Uni doing a 4 year course in Computer Science with Games, plus he's learning Japanese

moneypenny20

Usual blanket generalisation. All schools in both countries are different and what works for one child will not work for another. I am very impressed with the standard of education my girls are getting it and find it totally on a par with the education they received in the UK.

To the poster who was asking about what year her daughter will go into - if you are coming to Queensland grade 7 is the last year of primary. But there are some schools that have grade 7 as the first year of High School. I think in the next few years QLD are planning on changing it to tie in with the other states.